Rail-joint.



H. W. LEWIS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.19, 1909.

930,870., Patented Aug. 10,1909.

awue'ntoa ramp: ai men.

nAnaYfw. LEWIS, F TYRONE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

I Application filed January 19, 1 909; Serial no. 473,034

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY \V. Lnwis, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'lyrone, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful lmproveniem's in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints .for railway rails, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a joint having structural features which will overcome the tie fects of ordinary joints as to noise and jar incident to car wheels moving thereover and loosening the parts of the joint itself, there by obviating damages to the rails and injury to the rolling stock, as Well as inconvenience and jar to the traveling public.

Another object of the inventionis to embody in a railroad joint a construction which will so unite the rails as to make them practically continuous and to prevent depressions of the ointsoccurring between the ties by the application to the. under part of the contiguous ends of the rails of bracing means adapted to, be easily disposed between the ties-and readily accessible in the operations of applying the parts to the united ends as well as in the disassociation of the rails.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide arail splice whichis so constructed as to entirely obviate the necessity of providing the usual bolt openings in the ends of the rails and which in itself employs, no bolt openings whichmay tend to Weaken the rails and the device, the members comprising the brace being rigidly secured to the ends of the rails through the medium of projecting earsextending from the base flanges of the rails and providing suitable openings in the splice members for the reception of said ears.

With the above, and other objects in view, which will be more apparent as the description progresses, the invention resides in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In thedrawing, Figure l-is a side elevation of a rail joint embodying the features of the invention and shown applied to the contiguous ends of a pair ofrails. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.- Fig. 3 is a erspective of one of the splice members.

. lg. i is a perspective view of one of the rail' Fig. 5 is a sectional view upon the Fig. 6 1.8 a perspective ends. line of Fig. 1.

view of one of the securing members. Fig.

7 is a similar View of the coactiug securing member.

The numerals 1 and 2 designate the contiguous meeting ends of a pair of railway bers -7 and 8 are precisely similar in construction and numerals of reference refer ring to parts of one of the members may be consideredequally applicable to the opposite member. Each of these members 7 or 8 is provided with a base flange 9 which is horizontally straight, and above the same is an inclinedcoverin'g flange 1O integrally rising from the outer edge of the flange 9, the space between the flanges 9 and 10 being of such dimensions as to practically embrace one half of the base flanges 5 of the rail. sec tions 1 and 2. Rising from the inner terminal of the flange 10 is a fish plate 11 which is provided with an enlarged head 12, adapted to lie' directly beneath the under face of the heads 3 of the rails, thus providing a reduced portion or channel between the head and the flange 1D. The outer face of the inclined edge of the clamping members 8 and 9, directly above the horizontally straight wall provided by the base flange 9 is provided with a pair of spaced openings 13. These openings 13 are of a length slightly greater than that of the tongue 6 of the flange 5 of the rail. ends so as to allow for the contraction and expansion of the rails when the tongue is positioned within the pockets or openings 13.

The numeral 14 designates one member of the securing device... This member 1a is pro vided with a head or offset portion 15 adapted to be positioned within the channel formed between the head 12 and the overlying flange 10 of the splice members. The member 14 is also provided with an angularly arranged extending portion 16 'Wl'ilCll is adapted to engage the angular face of the splice member, and is from thence continued so as'to provide theextension 17 which 1:5

adapted to underlie the base flange 9 of the said: splice member. The extremity of this extension 17 is provided with a threaded extension 18 the purpose of which will presently be set forth.

' The numeral 19' designates the opposite member of the securing device. This mem ber 19 is also provided With a suitable head 20 adapted to be positioned between the head 12 and the overlying flange of the splice member opposite to that engaged by e member 14. The member 19 is also provided With an inclined extension of a length equalto the Width of the overlyingflange 10 with which it is adapted to engage and the member is also provided with a substan- "tially vertical depending portion 21 provided With a suita le'opening 22 and asubstantially right angular inturned o'fiset 23. The vertical portion 21 of this member 19 has its inner Wall of a length equaling the dis-' tance between the overlying flange 10 and the loweredge of the extension 17 provided by the member 1 1, so that the threaded element 18 of the said member 14 may engage with the opening 22 and the extension 23 1' will underlie the extremity of the'extension 17. The threaded extension 18 is adapted to extend a suitable distance beyond the outer tautsandfbolts, thus obviating the necessity of providing the'webs of the rails as Well as the s' lice members With the usual bolt holes which tend to Weaken the same, one which Ina be easily and quickly applied to the rai s and which may be readily disconnected theretronrif desired, and one in which the ,prdinary liorm aot rails may be employed by simply providing the base flanges oi the rails with projecting tongues.

Y Having thus fully described the invention What is claimed as new is:

1. In a rail joint, the combination of rail sections having their base flanges provided with extending tongues, of joint members applied against the opposite sides of the said contiguous rail members, said joint members each comprising a base plate adapted to underlie the base flanges of the rails and an integrall formed overlying plate adapted to engage tl ie upper faces of the flanges of the rails and having a vertically extending fish plate provided with an enlarged hcad adapted to be positioned beneath the underfaces of the heads of the rails, said joint members being PIOVlClGClWliZl) spaced openings adapted for the reception of the tongues of the rails, and securing elements engaging the sides of the joint sections and being provided with underlying portions positioned beneath the base flanges of the said joint sections, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the contiguous meeting ends of a pair of rails having their base flanges provided with extending tongues, of joint sections provided with openings adapted to engage the tongues, said joint soci'ions being provided with vertically arranged tish plates having enlarged heads and being provided with underlying flanges, securing members for the oint members, each of said securing members" being provided With heads adapted to engage between the enlarged heads and the body of the joint members, and means for connecting the said securing members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' HARRY W. LEWIS.

\Vitness'es SCOTT SESSAMEN, EDGAR J. STAUFFER. 

